exam 2 study guide - Exam 2 Study Guide 17:51 This exam...

Exam 2 Study Guide 17:51 This exam will be multiple choice, T/F AND short answer (fill in the blank). Van Zoonen Ch 4 and 5 How does “fandom” in the context of TV relate to citizenship? Pop culture activates audiences into discussion and participation Audience members might watch shows in groups, talk about the content of programming; turns it into a social event Refutes notion that people are passive recipients of content; people use the content for social purposes, emotional investment, relations to their own lives VZ says, “Audience-participation programs such as Big Brother and Pop Idol make visible what audience research has claimed extensively: that audiences are not the passive couch potatoes, the mindless dupes, or the vulnerable victims that they are often made out3 to be by TV critics” (p. 55) Daniel Dayan (2001) Acknowledges the parallels between fan groups and civic groups Fans become “publics” – distinct pockets of fans This parallels what happens in political science; “issue publics” Pockets of people politicized by a specific issue (Ex. Environment, abortion, gay rights, etc.) Characteristics that the fan groups and political issue publics share Social, stable, engaged in debate (with others in or outside of group), try to make demands about their public Ex. Fan groups might write or post on internet to get their opinions about their discontent with the direction of the show to the writers, producers, etc. Ex. Environmental group might make demands of organizations to meet certain environmental standards But he sees them as distinct entities: One of these is a world of play (pop culture) The other world has something at stake (politics)

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“The activities of the fan reflect a world of play and mimicry, a social reality that could be described as closed off, marginal, a game. Something essential seems to be lacking. Here is a public without a commissive dimension, without a sense of seriousness” (752). VZ’s Three analogies Fan communities and political groups both: 1. Respond to “performances” Pop culture: Band, TV performances, etc. Politics: Performance of politicians Professionalization of politics Political campaigns engage in marketing practices Attempts to “brand the candidates” Obama: “Change we can believe in Parties/candidates produce constituencies Constituencies as “audiences” Street (1997): “Politics, like popular culture, is about creating an audience, a people who will laugh at their jokes, understand their fears, and share their hopes. Both the popular media and politicians are engaged in creating works of popular fiction which portray

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